Community

Creating an inclusive and supportive community is a core value of the Nicholas School. We recognize that we are stronger together and better able to accomplish our individual and collective goals when our community is strong. To further develop your own sense of community, you can use the resources below.

“True Community is based upon equality, mutuality, and reciprocity. It affirms the richness of individual diversity as well as the common human ties that bind us together.” – Pauli Murray

Resources for Everyone

LGTBQIA+ flag in front of Duke Chapel
NICHOLAS SCHOOL RESOURCES for ALL

All Nicholas School community members, including students, staff, and faculty, are encouraged to become part of our Global Connections group, Racial Equity Caucus Groups & Discussions, Community Check-Ins, Community Coffees, Ph.D. Breakfasts, and join us for our community events, including: Tuesdays in the Orchard, Let’s Do Lunch, the Walk & Talk Program, and Weekly Meditation.

Also, please sign up for the DEI List Serv (dei-nsoe@duke.edu). Subscribe at lists.duke.edu/sympa.

DUKE IDENTITY & CULTURAL CENTERS

The Student Affairs Identity and Cultural Centers also serve as important resources and places of connection and support for many of our students. The centers are offering programming and support throughout the year, including summer. Our ICCs include:

This Spring, NSOE DEI would like to spotlight the Queer & Trans Leadership Series, a collaboration between the Mary Lou Williams Center and CSGD. We also recommend exploring program activities from the TRHT like Rx Racial Healing Circles (RxRHC) and Transforming Dialogues on Race & Racism (TDRR).

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Did you know that in 2022, iHouse became the Duke International Student Center (DISC)? Along with welcoming a new staff member, DISC has to Bay 5 in Smith Warehouse. DISC seeks to advocate, advise, program, and build community at Duke as it continues to innovate and be the center of support for Duke’s international students. Learn more about DISC’s mission, vision, and objectives here.

Need to reach out to someone in the DISC office? Here are some contact:

For additional resources for international students, click here.

COMMUNITY IDENTITY & CULTURAL CENTERS

Numerous urban Indigenous organizations exist in North Carolina with membership on the NC Commission of Indian Affairs. These include the Triangle Native American Society (closest to those in Durham), the Cumberland County Association for Indian People (closest to those in Beaufort), Guilford Native American Association, Metrolina Native American Association, and the Triangle Native America.

Resources for Students

NICHOLAS SCHOOL STUDENT CLUBS

Students seeking community might considering connecting with one of the below identity-based clubs.

Logo: Diverse and Inclusive Community for the Environment (DICE)
Diverse and Inclusive Community for the Environment (DICE)
Logo: The Nic Queer Network (NQN)
The Nic Queer Network (NQN)
Logo: The Black & Latinx Club (BLC)
The Black & Latinx Club (BLC)
The Duke Environmental Justice Network (DEJN)
Logo: The Working Group for the Environment in Latin America (WGELA)
The Working Group for the Environment in Latin America (WGELA)
Logo: The CAIRNS Program
Career and Academic Innovation and Research Network of Scholars (CAIRNS)
RESOURCES for STUDENTS with DISABILITIES at DUKE:
DIVERSITY-RELATED STUDENT GROUPS at DUKE

Duke University also supports a number of diversity-focused student groups. As quoted from Duke Student Affairs and supplemented by the Graduate School’s Diversity Resources page, these include:

DefMo: Founded on the pillars of service and multiculturalism, Defining Movement (DefMo) is Duke University’s multicultural dance group. DefMo’s founders identified a need for a diverse organization that transcends the lines of race, gender, background, and beliefs; from this vision, DefMo was born.

Duke Disability Alliance (also linked above): The mission of Duke Disability Alliance (DDA, formerly ICAN) is to promote advocacy and awareness of issues concerning students with disabilities, physical or otherwise. DDA’s goal is to eliminate the stigma the sometimes comes with the term “disablility,” and to affirm that disability should be considered as part of diversity. They can be found on Instagram at @duke_disability_alliance.

Blue Devils United: Blue Devils United is the student group for SOGIE-diverse students, allies, and friends. Blue Devils United seeks to provide social opportunities for LGBTQIA+ students and their allies, outreach to students at Duke and in the community, and to advocate for the needs of LGBTQIA+ individuals both at Duke and beyond.

Bridging Communities: Bridging Communities seeks to promote a Sanford Community that is inclusive, equitable, and just; we want to attract and produce a class of culturally competent professionals who are passionate and dedicated to achieving social equity—locally, nationally, and globally. Join their Facebook page here.

International Association: The International Association works towards creating a social, cultural and academic environment at Duke that addresses the needs of the international community. The International Association raises international awareness on campus through social events and lecture series, and provides policy advocacy for issues affecting international students at Duke. Visit DIA on Instagram @duke.ia.

Black Student Alliance (BSA): For the purposes of intellectually, socially, and culturally enriching the Duke community, the BSA promotes academic achievement and intellectual pursuit, cultivates dynamic leadership, and strives to eliminate social barriers for all. Follow BSA on Instagram @dukebsa.

Duke F1RSTS: Duke F1RSTS is a network of first-generation graduate students at Duke. Contact dukef1rsts-request@duke.edu for more info, and consider joining their Facebook group here.

Duke Student Veterans Association: This group is part of the Division of Student Affairs and “offers support, resources, and community to our Student Vets, their families, and allies.” Visit Duke Student Veterans on Facebook and Instagram @DukeStudentVets.

Duke South Asian Students Association (Diya): Diya is an organization representing the South Asian student body at Duke. Diya, which is a Hindi word meaning “light,” seeks to share the culture and traditions of South Asia with the greater Duke and Durham communities. For more info find Diya on Facebook, Instagram, GroupMe or sign up for Diya’s listserv!

Native American & Indigenous Student Alliance (NAISA): Formerly “NASA,” NAISA’s mission is to serve as a resource for all Native students on campus through educational, career, cultural, and social support. NAISA works to advance the awareness of Native culture throughout campus and the state of NC. Follow NAISA on Instagram @DukeNAISA.

Asian Students Association (ASA)ASA serves as a lobbying voice and support for the political, cultural and social interests of students of Asian Pacific heritage at Duke. The ASA works to transcend social borders and foster relations with other groups on campus through community interaction. Find ASA on Facebook and Instagram.

Mi Gente: Mi Gente, Duke’s Latino Student Association, has two fundamental goals: to best serve the Hispanic population at Duke, and to bring the beauty of Hispanic/Latino culture to the larger Duke community. Furthermore, Mi Gente seeks to fill the needs of all Latinos. Find Mi Gente on Instagram @dukemigente.

Muslim Students Association (MSA)MSA plans religious, social, political, and cultural activities related to Islam and various Muslim cultures in order to serve the needs and interests of members of the Duke community, regardless of their faith. Learn more at the MSA Student Affairs sub-page.

Women in Science & Engineering: This group liaises between women in science and the administration, while providing opportunities for women in science and engineering to network and share.

RELIGIOUS LIFE at DUKE

Religious Life at Duke offers a wide range of student supports, whether or not you are connected to a religious tradition at all. Visit their website to connect with leaders from any of Duke’s diverse faith groups, all of whom are experienced in offering emotional and spiritual care, and a non-anxious presence with a humanistic listening ear, to college-age students. 

RESOURCES for GRADUATE STUDENTS with CHILDREN
IDENTITY-BASED STUDENT & PROFESSIONAL GROUPS OUTSIDE OF DUKE
  • Seeing the Forest for the Queers Meetings: visit the Forest Stewardship Guild’s event page: “The intent of this event is to create a safe space for community and empowerment among people who identify with the LGBTQIA+ community within the natural resource fields. Queer Ecology webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY9Ju7xehSs
  • SACNAS – Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science: https://www.sacnas.org/sacnas-biography-project/  
  • Earth Science Women’s Network: https://eswnonline.org/ :  
  • Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals: http://www7.nau.edu/itep/main/Home/  
  • Water Researchers of Color: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qlW0jFdig6Hu-VRvZ1yd1N6Fl6dAndNnskmvM_myes/edit#gid=571566776 
  • National Association of Black Geoscientists: https://www.americangeosciences.org/society/national-association-black-geoscientists

Resources for Faculty & Staff

DUKE ORGANIZATIONS

The organizations below, while often associated with Duke students, explicitly support Duke staff and faculty:

  • Sexual and Gender Diversity Advisory Council: The Sexual and Gender Diversity Advisory Council supports and advocates for an environment that is welcoming and affirming of LGBTQI+ faculty, staff, learners, allies, patients, families, and friends.
  • Multicultural Resources Center: The Multicultural Resources Center assists with the preparation of learners, staff, and faculty to work and live in a world of diverse people who differ along the lines of culture, faith, gender, sexuality, and socio-economic backgrounds
  • Duke’s Samuel Dubois Cook Society: The mission of the Society is to recognize, to celebrate, and to affirm the presence of African American students, faculty, and staff at Duke University.
  • We encourage you to visit the Center for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) and discover their offerings, such as Rx Racial Healing Circles (RxRHC) and Transforming Dialogues on Race & Racism (TDRR).
ADDITIONAL DUKE RESOURCES for FACULTY:
  • Leadership Advisory Council on Underrepresented Minority (URM) Faculty: In partnership with the Dean Office and the School’s senior leadership team this council’s goal is to bring to the forefront issues of recruitment, retention, and leadership development that URM faculty face at Duke.
  • Hispanic & Latino Faculty Council: The goals of this council are to build fellowship, networking systems, and engagement in a thoughtful exchange about how to foster greater inclusion for Hispanics/Latinos across the School of Medicine.
  • Minority Recruitment and Retention Committee (MRRC): The Minority Recruitment and Retention Committee (MRRC) provides career mentoring, leadership development, and social networking for minority faculty and trainees. It is composed of faculty, fellows, housestaff, and medical students who work closely with the Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Diversity, and with the department’s housestaff selection committee.